Analysis Operator Boat Handling Experience When transiting an area of rough water, a vessel's safety, to a large extent, depends on the boat-handling skills of its operator. In this instance, none of the persons on board the rental boat had received any formal operator training. Although the operator at the time of accident had some boating experience- he had previously rented boats- he was not an experienced boat handler. Hence, he may not have recognized the dangers associated with operating a small open boat in fast flowing tidal streams. It is hazardous for any small open boat to attempt to navigate swift flowing or turbulent waters. The attempt to navigate Sechelt Rapids when the ebb current was at or near its maximum rate of flow contributed to the boat coming under the influence of a strong backeddy and subsequently losing transverse stability and capsizing. Use of Lifejackets and Personal Flotation Devices Pleasure craft are required to be equipped with a Canadian-approved lifejacket or PFD of an appropriate size for each person on board. The lifejacket, developed for professional mariners, was designed to provide buoyancy and, in the case of injury, keep an unconscious wearer's head face-up above the surface. The PFD, on the other hand, was developed for pleasure craft operators. The premise behind the development of the inherently buoyant PFD was that, while it offers reduced performance as compared to a lifejacket, in that it will not keep a wearer's face clear of the water, it will keep users afloat and is more likely to be worn than the higher performance, but less comfortable, lifejacket. Although it is not mandatory for persons to wear their lifejacket or PFD at all times when on board a vessel, a Canadian Red Cross Drowning Report shows that more than 70percent of people who drown while boating are not wearing a PFD. In this instance, the one person who was not wearing a PFD- the operator of the boat- drowned. In 2002, the Canadian Safe Boating Council (CSBC) struck a Lifejacket/Personal Flotation Device (PFD) Taskforce to examine the issue of mandatory PFD wear legislation for recreational boaters in small craft. The Taskforce was in progress at the time of the occurrence. A background research paper8 summarizes the best available evidence pertaining to mandatory lifejacket/PFD use. It was recommended that the PFD Taskforce and the CSBC as a whole work toward mandatory PFD wear legislation. Assessing Operator Competency Operator knowledge and operating skills are of critical importance to the safety of persons on board any vessel. However, some of the boat-renting/chartering public do not have the necessary proficiency to operate a small boat. In this instance, the owner of the rental company gave verbal operating instructions for the outboard motor to the group's representative and told him to stay clear of Sechelt Rapids. The operator of the rental boat had previously rented boats from the same company. Recreational boating safety requires the cooperative efforts of regulators, rental businesses and renters themselves. However, in this instance, none of the people on board the pleasure craft had received any safety training; none possessed a Pleasure Craft Operator Card and none was required to do so. The rental agency representative did not provide the renters with a written Rental Boat Safety Checklist or any other written documentation concerning the safe operation of the boat or dangers present in the intended geographical area of operation; he was not required to do so. The representative did provide a verbal warning of the dangers associated with Sechelt Rapids, but the effectiveness of the warning is considered to have been diminished by the limited English language skills of the renters. A review of seven established boat rental companies located on the Sechelt Peninsula showed that the companies employed a wide range of procedures in assessing the boating skills of boat renters. One company required a prospective renter to complete a printed checklist identifying boating experience, outboard engine operating experience, and a signed acknowledgment that the rental company representative had informed the renter on the safe operation of the boat to be rented (including its safe starting) and the use of on-board safety equipment. Other companies required a renter's signature on written documents setting out the rental agency's limit of legal liability but provided the boat renter with no written information related to boating safety or required operator experience. Such practices do not protect the physical safety of boat renters. Currently, regulations do not require all persons wishing to rent a boat over four metres in length to have training. Language Communication Difficulties A large number of the seven Sechelt Peninsula boat rental companies' clients spoke limited English and most of those clients spoke either Mandarin or Cantonese. Language difficulties compromise the safety of vessels, as they hamper communication between personnel, be they ashore or afloat. Communication of safety-related information becomes less effective when there are language barriers. It is, therefore, imperative that safety information to the renters be communicated/presented in a format such that, despite language barriers, the renters will be able to reasonably understand the safety message. In this instance, because the operator of the rental boat entered the Sechelt Rapids area, he may not have fully understood the warning to stay clear of them. The operator was not an experienced boat handler, had difficulty with the English language, and he may not have fully recognized the dangers associated with operating a small open boat in fast flowing tidal streams. The attempt to navigate Sechelt Rapids when the ebb current was at or near its maximum rate of flow contributed to the boat coming under the influence of a strong backeddy and subsequently losing transverse stability and capsizing. The one person who was not wearing a PFD drowned. The Competency of Operators of Pleasure Craft Regulations permitted rental of the DeepWater without proof of competency.Findings as to Causes and Contributing Factors The operator was not an experienced boat handler, had difficulty with the English language, and he may not have fully recognized the dangers associated with operating a small open boat in fast flowing tidal streams. The attempt to navigate Sechelt Rapids when the ebb current was at or near its maximum rate of flow contributed to the boat coming under the influence of a strong backeddy and subsequently losing transverse stability and capsizing. The one person who was not wearing a PFD drowned. The Competency of Operators of Pleasure Craft Regulations permitted rental of the DeepWater without proof of competency. The rental company's reliance on a verbal warning about dangers associated with the Sechelt Rapids increased the risk of the boat becoming involved in an unsafe situation. The current method of delivering safety information to boaters who have limited knowledge of the English language increases the risk of poor communication and will continue to place these boaters at undue risk.Findings as to Risks The rental company's reliance on a verbal warning about dangers associated with the Sechelt Rapids increased the risk of the boat becoming involved in an unsafe situation. The current method of delivering safety information to boaters who have limited knowledge of the English language increases the risk of poor communication and will continue to place these boaters at undue risk. Safety Concern Assessing Operator Competency for Rental Pleasure Vessels In response to concerns from the rental boat and outfitter industry for an alternate means of demonstrating proof of competency, other than having a Pleasure Craft Operator Card, operators of power-driven rental pleasure boats may complete and sign a Rental Boat Safety Checklist. However, given that these proficiency requirements of the Competency of Operators of Pleasure Craft Regulations are being phased in over a 10-year period, only by 15September2009 will all operators of rental boats be required to demonstrate proof of competency. A Rental Boat Safety Checklist Standard, the purpose of which is to facilitate the development of checklists by the industry for their customers, was developed in consultation with the rental boat and outfitter industry. The Standard was promulgated for use in1999. The Standard lists the minimum elements of boating safety knowledge, including knowledge of local hazards and conditions, for any checklist. Although there are rental companies that currently make use of a safety checklist, it is the Transportation Safety Board's (TSB's) understanding that there may be other companies that do not. As demonstrated in this investigation, current methods of delivering safety information may not be sufficient to assess boating skills and impart the knowledge necessary to safely operate a rental boat. The regulations apply to a wide range of recreational pleasure craft operators and include private and commercial operations. There are few fatalities involving pleasure boat rentals reported to the TSB (13since1995), however, the number of unreported non-fatal occurrences involving such vessels is likely to be much higher. The Red Cross, for example, reports an average of nearly 200pleasure boating-related fatalities and estimates approximately 6,000unreported non-fatal accidents every year. The Board, therefore, is concerned that until such time that all persons are required to demonstrate proof of competency (i.e., end of summer2009), some persons operating rental boats may place themselves and others at risk. The Board will monitor this concern in future investigations.